PEACHLAND — Jump Rope for Heart isn’t anything new for Peachland-Polkton Elementary School. What was new this year was how much the students excelled at fundraising for the American Heart Association.

Each year for the past five years, Peachland-Polkton has participated in Jump Rope for Heart. It’s a program that promotes physical education and provides students with knowledge of heart disease and stroke while raising funds for cardiovascular disease research, stroke research and health education.

During the month of February, the school’s physical education class taught by MiRandi Chewning and Shelly Vetter focused on jump rope skills. These skills included short rope, long rope and Chinese jump rope.

This year, Peachland-Polkton’s goal was to raise $11,000 total with a $3,000 online goal. School officials said the students met that goal, raising a total of $11,000.75, with $3,029 coming from online fundraising. The total is $500 more than the school raised last year.

“Thank you for everyone’s support,” Peachland-Polkton Elementary physical education instructor Shelly Vetter said. “This program means a lot to us and we are so proud of our students that took the time and showed that they care about others.”

To celebrate the students’ success, kindergarten through second-grade pupils participated in a “Jump the Gym” event that consisted of multiple jump rope stations. Students in grades 3-6 were given the opportunity to create a team of 5 to participate in a Kings and Queens tournament.

Contributed photo Students at Peachland-Polkton Elementary school participated in Jump Rope for Heart, a program focusing on physical education and heart health, last month.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_PPES-American-Heart-Association-2016-fz.jpgContributed photo Students at Peachland-Polkton Elementary school participated in Jump Rope for Heart, a program focusing on physical education and heart health, last month.

For the Record